Word: tarkenton
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Only eight years ago, the passing records that Tarkenton is closing in on seemed like the future property of another man. But this season Joe Namath leads the N.F.L. only in throwing interceptions-19 in his first eight games. His arm is still sound; it is the Namath knees that are all but gone. Before each game they are strapped so securely in metal braces that, Joe says, "they cut off my circulation." They also cut down his mobility. Says Miami Dolphin Linebacker Doug Swift: "You know where he's going to be all the time...
...biggest reason for their success is the play of Quarterback Fran Tarkenton, 35, now in his 15th pro season. Hampered last year by a sore arm-he was treated in the off-season by Dodger Relief Pitcher Mike Marshall, a graduate student and expert in body mechanics at Michigan State-Tarkenton has already thrown for 15 touchdowns. He leads the league with a completion mark of better than 60%. Indeed, Tarkenton, who has never been seriously injured, should soon become the leading passer in N.F.L. history. Only ten more TD throws will break John Unitas' lifetime high...
Despite his long tenure in the league, his enthusiasm for the game seems not to have diminished. "I love it," he says. "I'm a purist of the game itself." Tarkenton (6 ft., 190 lbs.) leads in other ways as well. When offensive coaches gather every week to plan strategy for the next game, he sits in, offering suggestions. On Sunday he calls his own signals in the huddle and is a master at dissecting a defense. Unlike many methodical quarterbacks, Tarkenton is a gambler. His desperate scrambles behind the line of scrimmage are the stuff of N.F.L. legend...
Impressive Horsepower. Pittsburgh will have to do every bit as well to contain scrambling Fran Tarkenton and the Vikings. In his 15th N.F.L. season, Tarkenton, 34, has lost little of his shifty speed and maneuverability. And this year, as last, he has impressive horsepower behind him, notably Running Backs Chuck Foreman and Dave Osborn. Foreman ran for 777 yds., caught 53 passes and scored 15 touchdowns (tops in the league) in helping the Vikings run up a 10-4 record. For the long bomb Minnesota has mercurial John Gilliam at wide receiver...
...outcome of Sunday's game' will depend largely on how successfully Pittsburgh can contain Tarkenton. When the Vikings' wily quarterback starts leading pass rushers on a mad chase around the backfield, pass coverage often breaks down. Moreover, if Tarkenton can scramble enough to tire the Steelers' pass rushers, they could become vulnerable to the run. Minnesota also has the advantage of experience; this is their second consecutive Super Bowl and the third in the past six years. They are hungry for their first...